However, with Zhao Min's identity and status, after such a long time, there should have been an opportunity to pass on a message, yet there wasn't a single voice transmission talisman here.
When Li Yan had left, he had used a special voice transmission talisman to tell Zhao Min that he was returning to the sect, informing her of his whereabouts.
In more than twenty days, Zhao Min should have at least reported her safety, but she hadn't.
"Could an accident have happened?"
Li Yan sat silently at the table, his brow furrowed as he considered various possibilities.
And not long after he had sunk into contemplation, the sound of light footsteps came from the corridor, startling Li Yan from his thoughts.
Soon, Su Yuan's voice came in.
"This disciple was unaware of Elder Zhang's return and failed to pay his respects in time. Please forgive me, Elder!"
His voice revealed the same smoothness as ever.
"Come in!"
As Li Yan's voice fell, a round, stout person pushed open the door and walked in lightly. The sound of his footsteps seemed out of place with his thick-set figure.
"Hmph, you've put on a few more pounds! Hmm, your cultivation has improved again. You're only one opportunity away from Core Formation!"
The moment Li Yan saw the other party, he had a reaction in his heart.
It had only been a few dozen days since he had last seen Su Yuan, but the fat on his body had increased visibly, and a restrained divine light flowed within him.
It was no wonder for Su Yuan. Now that everything was going smoothly, he was also a man of great wealth, and he was even more afraid of death.
Any great tonic that was useful for cultivation, whether it was medicinal pills, Demonic Beast meat, or even spirit food containing Spiritual Energy, he would stuff into his mouth without any hesitation, eating until he was fat and plump.
In addition, he himself also paid more attention to cultivating diligently. His cultivation also advanced by leaps and bounds, and his Spirit Power was abundant.
Li Yan could see at a glance that Su Yuan's Spirit Power had reached a bottleneck. If he wanted to advance any further, it would be very difficult.
Cultivation could only make his Spirit Power more and more solid. The next step up for him was to form a Golden Core.
It was just that finding that one opportunity to condense a Golden Core was unknown when it would happen. Everything was an unknown.
He might have a sudden epiphany from a drop of rain falling on his eyelid or a word from a passerby, and the next moment he would have an epiphany, and not long after, he would face a heavenly tribulation.
It was also possible that he would be stuck here forever. No matter how he cultivated, he would never be able to advance another inch in his life, and would never have the chance to form a core until his death.
This, would depend on his great fortune.
After Su Yuan came in, without Li Yan needing to ask specifically, he narrated in detail everything that had happened in the "Sacred Demon City" after Li Yan had left.
Li Yan was quite satisfied with this point about Su Yuan. It was very easy to communicate with him.
Su Yuan especially emphasized the news he had found about some cultivators these days.
Those people were actually found based on the appearance of the "master" Li Yan had used as a smokescreen and some fragmented clues.
Li Yan also listened "seriously" and even asked a follow-up question from time to time, and had Su Yuan explain where the other party had last appeared one by one.
In this way, even with Su Yuan's smoothness, he did not find any flaws.
After putting down this "matter that Elder Zhang was most concerned about," Li Yan seemed to casually ask about the recent business of the shop and the "Sacred Demon Palace."
Su Yuan also reported in detail and stated that the "Sacred Demon Palace" had been very strict in its investigation of cultivators entering and leaving recently.
Not only were the goods sent in carefully checked, but even their identities were repeatedly verified before they were allowed to pass.
After listening, Li Yan asked a few more questions and already had some judgments in his heart.
'From the information Su Yuan has revealed, it seems that Senior Sister has not been exposed. Otherwise, they would have already investigated here.
'Now that the "Sacred Demon Palace" is investigating so strictly, it shows that they still believe that the Black Demon Clan's tentacles may have extended into the city and that they must be on guard;
'In addition, although more than twenty days have passed, no matter how the "Sacred Demon Palace" has investigated secretly, they still haven't found the "real culprit." They are already very annoyed.
'A Nascent Soul cultivator has died. How could they let it go so easily? So, my feeling when I entered the city before should have been wrong. The other party is still secretly searching strictly. I must be careful.'
Afterwards, after a look of hesitation appeared on Su Yuan's face, he still mentioned some news he had heard through the grapevine, and stated clearly.
"The truth of these matters is difficult to distinguish. Elder Zhang should just listen. They can only be used as a reference and should not be taken seriously!"
It was said that several ambushes had broken out in several fortresses on the border between the two races, as well as in the territory of the Black Demon Clan. A good number of Golden Core cultivators on the Black Demon Clan's side had died.
Some even said that two Nascent Soul cultivators in the Black Demon Clan were seriously injured. One had his physical body completely shattered, and the other's divine soul was seriously injured, and might even have perished.
All of this news pointed to the fact that it was the "Sacred Demon Palace" that had acted. After Dongli Qing was killed, in their great anger, they had activated some very important hidden pawns in the Black Demon Clan's territory.
At the same time, they had also secretly sent out several Nascent Soul cultivators to lie in wait. The two sides cooperated to design an ambush to kill the other party's experts.
And a few days ago, in the middle of the night, someone had sensed several cultivators forcibly flying into the "Sacred Demon City."
Although they had concealed their auras, the monstrous blood qi on their bodies was still detected by some old monsters in the sects.
After these people entered the "Sacred Demon City," the "Sacred Demon Palace" seemed completely unaware, letting them enter the city and disappear.
According to some people's speculation, those people were likely the "Sacred Demon Palace" experts who had returned from carrying out the assassination mission.
After hearing all this, Li Yan was also shocked in his heart.
The speed with which the "Sacred Demon Palace" had acted, and the viciousness of their revenge, was unexpectedly decisive. They had actually directly ambushed the other party's Nascent Soul cultivators.
Li Yan believed that nine times out of ten, this news was true.
And for the "Sacred Demon Palace" to ambush the other party's Nascent Soul like this, although there was no news of whether they had suffered any casualties, the battle that erupted between Nascent Soul cultivators, even if it was an ambush, was also extremely sharp and dangerous.
I'm afraid the "Sacred Demon Palace" itself also had to pay a not-so-small price.
"If this is traced back to me, I'm afraid the entire 'Falling Star Valley' will be annihilated!"
Li Yan thought in his heart, and waves of coldness rose from his back. He even felt his hands and feet start to go numb.
Li Yan forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart. After a long time, he finally thawed the Spirit Power in his body that seemed to have been frozen.
Afterwards, Li Yan inquired about some matters in the "Sacred Demon City" and asked Su Yuan to inform him the next time he sent medicinal pills into the "Sacred Demon Palace," as he also wanted to go and pay a visit to the cultivator surnamed Chu.
Afterwards, he waved his hand and let Su Yuan leave.
As Su Yuan was about to leave, he informed him of another matter. After getting the sect master's consent, he had purchased a not-so-small residence three streets away from here, and it had already been properly arranged.
"That place has already been cleaned. Elder Zhang can move in at any time and will no longer be disturbed by a group of disciples."
Su Yuan said while bowing and retreating.
Li Yan's eyes flashed a few times, and then he raised a hand and took out a bottle of medicinal pills from his storage pouch, then flicked it towards Su Yuan.
"You've done well. This is your reward. Tomorrow, you will take me to see that courtyard!"
After catching the pill bottle in his hand, Su Yuan was also overjoyed in his heart. Without opening it, he knew that with the other party's elder status, the medicinal pills here would definitely be extraordinary.
"Many thanks to Elder for your grace and favor. This disciple will now take his leave!"
When Su Yuan returned to his room, although he had long guessed, after he opened the bottle stopper and looked, the medicinal pill in the jade bottle still greatly surprised him.
"This... this is a medicinal pill that stimulates a cultivator to squeeze out their Spirit Power!"
If he wasn't mistaken, that should be a "Blood-Amber Pill."
This pill was a high-grade third-rank pill. With Su Yuan's current assets, he could already afford a high-grade third-rank medicinal pill.
But the power of this medicinal pill was not in its rank, but in its effect.
The "Blood-Amber Pill" was of no help in cultivation or advancement, but it had a certain effect on temporarily stimulating a person's Spirit Power.
Once this pill entered the body, it would greatly burn the essence blood and flesh, causing the user's strength to increase by three to four times within half an hour.
This undoubtedly had a decisive effect on a person's escape at a critical moment, and it was not impossible to turn the tables and kill the enemy.
It was just that the side effects of this pill were not small. Although it would not reduce the user's lifespan, the meridians would become very fragile after half an hour of use.
If one were to recklessly move even a little Spirit Power again, it would cause the inside of the body to become a mess. One could only slowly recover the body by constantly nourishing it with nourishing medicinal pills.
As for the length of the recovery time, it would depend on the original firmness of the user's meridians. Generally, it would take at least a month, and at most a year.
So during this period, this person was basically a cripple. But compared to a person's life, all of this was nothing.
To Su Yuan, this medicinal pill was undoubtedly like having an extra life.
Looking at the crimson medicinal pill in his hand, the fat on Su Yuan's whole body trembled. He hadn't expected that Elder Zhang would just give him such a precious medicinal pill.
He secretly decided in his heart that he must hold on to this thick thigh even tighter in the future.
And Li Yan on the other side, after sending out the "Blood-Amber Pill," immediately fell into deep thought again.
He had obtained two "Blood-Amber Pills" back then, which were originally for saving his life at a critical moment.
But who knew that his luck was so heaven-defying that he later obtained the "Rongsun" that all cultivators dreamed of.
With the "Immortal Liquid" that had no side effects, he certainly would not use a medicinal pill like the "Blood-Amber Pill" in a great battle.
So these two "Blood-Amber Pills" had been put aside by him all along. Now, seeing that Su Yuan was working so hard, Li Yan, after thinking for a moment, felt that the "Blood-Amber Pill" was of no use to him at all, not even to his closest relatives.
If it were a critical moment, and someone like Zhao Min, Gong Chenying, or Li Wuyi was exhausted of their Spirit Power, Li Yan would definitely take out the "Rongsun" for them to take.
He would not let them swallow the "Blood-Amber Pill." So he simply took one out and gave it to Su Yuan.
Li Yan was thinking about how he could get close to Zhao Min next. The voice transmission talisman he had sent last time, whether the other party had received it or not, she had not sent any news back.
This showed that she either didn't have time to send a voice transmission talisman, or she simply couldn't send one out.
Under such circumstances, Li Yan did not try to send a voice transmission talisman again. That might bring unpredictable consequences to Zhao Min and himself.
So the most urgent task was for him to enter the "Sacred Demon Palace" once and personally investigate the news before he could act according to the situation.
Just like that, this night passed in Li Yan's contemplation.
The next day, he followed Su Yuan out of the shop, turned a few streets, and entered a courtyard.
The courtyard was very elegant. A cool breeze was blowing in the courtyard, and several towering trees were as green as shade. Behind them were six houses, with a cultivation chamber, a pill-refining chamber, a beast-rearing chamber, etc., all available.
Su Yuan told him that this was originally the residence of a Golden Core cultivator. It was only because that person was in urgent need of a large number of spirit stones to upgrade his natal magical treasure that he had no choice but to sell it.
And he had been looking for a suitable courtyard in the vicinity for a long time. The first thing he did was to find the other party. After some bargaining, both parties completed the transaction with a satisfied attitude.
After walking around, Li Yan was also quite satisfied with this courtyard!
In the following days, apart from going to the "Sacred Demon Palace" once, Li Yan never left his house again.
That trip Li Yan had made into the "Sacred Demon Palace," he had had a long talk with the cultivator surnamed Chu and had also learned some news.
For example, now all outside cultivators could only move within the outer palace area;
Every time a cultivator in the palace went out, they would be registered;
Even their voice transmission talismans to the outside might be under surveillance, and so on.
The cultivator surnamed Chu cursed those of his own race who were secretly colluding with the Black Demon Clan with incomparable venom, hoping to find these "traitors" as soon as possible and cut them into pieces.